Hilary Swank's 'Yellowjackets' Debut: Everything We Know

Hilary Swank, the two-time Academy Award-winning actress, has joined the cast of Yellowjackets.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 3 Episode 8 of Yellowjackets is ahead.

The Context

The third season of Yellowjackets is currently airing, to the delight of fans who had been waiting since May 2023 to find out what happened next in Showtime's Emmy-nominated survival thriller.

Starring Tawny Cypress, Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson, Christina Ricci, Kevin Alves, Juliette Lewis, and Alexa Barajas, Yellowjackets first debuted in 2021. The show tells the story of a high school girls' soccer team who survived a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness.

What We Know

Swank made her debut in Season 3, Episode 8, titled "A Normal, Boring Life."

She is playing the adult version of Melissa, a character who had previously been presumed dead. Melissa, a former member of the ill-fated high school soccer team, re-emerges under the alias "Kelly," having previously faked her suicide to escape her past.

The episode features an intense confrontation between Melissa and Shauna (Lynskey).

Speculation about Swank's role in the cast came after she appeared in the Season 3 trailer in December, but it was unclear who she would be playing.

Many X, formerly Twitter, users had speculated ahead of time that she would be playing adult Melissa, posting theories online, but others weren't as convinced. One X user wrote, "hillary swank IS melissa: an actual THREAD with evidence," while another posted: "when we find out hilary swank isn't melissa."

As fans react to the plot twist, many have taken to the social media platform to share excitement about Swanks' role and her performance. One user wrote, "Hillary F*** Swank dang girl yees," while another commented: "@HillarySwank is such a talented actress and a wonderful addition to this show as Melissa wow."

What People Are Saying

Hilary Swank in an interview with Vanity Fair about the role: "It's such an interesting show for many reasons, but one is that they can really start creating anything—they can take one of those soccer players that was younger and make them into a bigger plot line. And it's really genius, so that they never run out of ideas. That was fascinating, talking about the psychological side of when you go through something so traumatic at a young age, how that affects the rest of your life and your brain and your makeup."

What Happens Next?

Episodes are available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime on Fridays, and for those tuning in on Showtime's linear channel, episodes will air weekly on Sundays. There are two episodes left in the current season.

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